Carolyn Craig

Carolyn Craig
Studio portrait for Portland Exposé (1957)
Born
Adele Ruth Crago

(1934-10-27)October 27, 1934
Valley Stream, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 1970(1970-12-12) (aged 36)
Culver City, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1955–1967
Spouses
Charles E. Graham
​
​
(m. 1957; div. 1961)​
Arthur Bryden
​
​
(m. 1961; div. 1970)​
Children2
Craig and Martin Milner on TV's The West Point Story (1956)

Carolyn Craig (born Adele Ruth Crago;[1] October 27, 1934 – December 12, 1970) was an American actress who was best known for her performance as Nora Manning in William Castle's 1959 shocker House on Haunted Hill.

Career

Sebastian Cabot, Craig, and Doug McClure in Checkmate (1962)

Craig gained early acting experience at the Community Playhouse in Santa Barbara, California.[2] She made her film debut in Giant (1956)[3] as Lacey Lynnton. She had a lead role in the 1957 film noir Portland Exposé as Ruth Madison. She was also the second female lead in the 1958 Western Apache Territory.

Sometimes billed as Caroline Craig, she also made numerous guest appearances on television, including a recurring role on the soap opera General Hospital. Craig made a guest appearance on the fourth episode of the television series Perry Mason; she played Helen Waters in "The Case of the Drowning Duck". Craig also made a guest appearance on season 1 episode 3 "End of a Young Gun" of The Rifleman in October 1958, playing Ann Bard, a young woman who sparked the interest of Will Fulton, played by Michael Landon.

On April 8, 1958, Craig was cast as Edna Granger, a young woman with an unrequited romantic interest in deputy Marshal Wyatt Earp in the Western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

On April 9, 1962, Craig was cast in the episode "The Fortune Hunter" of the Western series Laramie in the role of Kitty McAllen.

Personal life and death

In 1957, Craig married Charles E. Graham. In 1959, she gave birth to their child, Charles Edward Graham II.[4][5]

After divorcing Graham in 1961, she married Arthur Francis Bryden, a union that lasted until April 1970. 8 months later, on December 12, Craig died in Los Angeles from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.[1][6]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1956 Giant Lacy Lynnton
1956 Annie Oakley Della Forsyth Season 3, Episode 4: "Annie and the Twisted Trails"[7]
1957 Fury at Showdown Ginny Clay
1957 A Face in the Crowd Redheaded Filly Uncredited
1957 Portland Exposé Ruth Madison
1957 Gunsight Ridge Farm Girl
1957 Annie Oakley Penny Granger Season 3, Episode 33: "Dude's Decision"[8]
1958 Mr. Adams and Eve Joanie Season 2, Episode 41: "Teenage Idol"
1958 Apache Territory Junie Hatchett
1959 House on Haunted Hill Nora Manning
1960 Studs Lonigan Catherine Banahan
1961 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis Sally Bean Season 3, Episode 9: "The Second Most Beautiful Girl in the World"[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Hopper, Hedda (July 16, 1956). "Walt Disney Buys Another 'Humdinger'". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. p. 30. Retrieved August 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Big Minor Roles". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. July 26, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952", Charles Edward Graham and Adele Ruth Crago, October 5, 1957; citing Los Angeles County Courthouse Records, California; FHL microfilm 1,358,130. Retrieved October 23, 2021—via FamilySearch archives (registration required).
  5. ^ "6-Virginia, Danville. Son Born to Carolyn Craig". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. May 6, 1959. p. 98. Retrieved August 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984" Carolyn Craig [Adele Ruth Crago] and Arthur F. Bryden, April 1970; citing Los Angeles City records, State Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento. Retrieved October 23, 2021—via FamilySearch archives.
  7. ^ Annie Oakley (June 3, 2016). "Annie Oakley Season 3 Episode 4: Annie and the Twisted Trails" – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Rebecca Wilcox (October 26, 2015). "Annie Oakley Season 3 Episode 33 : Dude's Decision" – via YouTube.
  9. ^ ""The Second Most Beautiful Girl in the World (TV Episode 1961)" – via www.tvguide.com.
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